PAG Explains: Childcare Sufficiency Assessment

PAG Staff2022, Article, Early Years, free schools, Policy, Schools

PAG Explains: Childcare Sufficiency AssessmentsPAG have undertaken full Childcare Sufficiency Assessments (CSAs) for over 30 Local Authorities in England and Wales. We have experience stretching back to the days of childcare audits in the early days of Sure Start and the Childcare Act 2006. As market leaders in the delivery of full CSAs, PAG’s expertise in assessing childcare markets and …

PAG Explains: Trust Capacity Funding 2022

PAG Staff2022, Article, bid writing, TCaF

PAG Explains: Trust Capacity FundingThe DfE recently opened the next round of Trust Capacity Funding, which closes on the 16th of December. The Trust Capacity Fund is a competitive grant that is available for academy trusts with eligible growth projects and maintained schools forming academy trusts. Applicants can be awarded up to £300,000 in funding, depending on their circumstances, to …

Profiles – Helena Senior

PAG StaffInterview, Profiles

Profiles: Helena SeniorMeet Helena…Helena Senior joined PAG in 2021 via the Kickstart scheme and initially supported our Kickstart efforts as a recruitment assistant, before moving to her current role as an associate consultant in the growth team. She has a BA in English Literature from Edge Hill University and an MA in English from the University of York, and, following …

SNP look to raise school starting age

PAG Staff2022, Article, Early Years

SNP look to raise school starting ageSNP members have backed a motion to raise the school entry age for children to six years old. While advocating for a play-based kindergarten stage for three to six-year-olds, the new Scottish motion aims to implement a compulsory and universal care-centered provision. The UK is one of the few countries in Europe where the …

PAG Explains: Trust Mergers

PAG Staff2022, Article, Governance, Leadership, online resources, Schools

PAG Explains: Trust MergersFollowing the release of the White Paper back in March, mergers are the talk of the day. The DfE are now not only proposing academy conversions but encouraging smaller MATs to become larger. In response, PAG’s clients are now commonly asking us about how to prepare for a merger discussion.PAG has a proven route to guiding MATs …

PAG Explains: Free School Interviews

PAG Staff2022, free schools

PAG Explains: Free School InterviewsA vital part of the free school application process is the interview. Whether you’re applying via the central free school waves or via local authority competition, if your free school bid is successful in the first round (find out more about writing a successful free school bid here) you will be invited to an interview. The …

Kickstart: A Retrospective

Amira Cidam2022, Article, Kickstart

Kickstart: A RetrospectiveIn February 2021, Premier Advisory Group (PAG) was approved by the DWP as a national Kickstart Gateway, focusing on schools. The £2 billion scheme was launched in September 2020, enabling organisations across the UK to recruit government funded 16–24-year-olds. The scheme was designed to provide work opportunities for people in receipt of Universal Credit and considered at risk …

PAG Explains: Opening a Free School

PAG Staff2022, Article, bid writing, free schools, Interview, online resources, Schools

PAG Explains: Opening a Free School Free schools were a central tenet of Conservative education policy going into the 2010 election. The Programme was launched shortly after the coalition government came into power and by 2013, 174 free schools had opened across the country. Today this number stands at over 600 open free schools.At the time, PAG’s managing director, Tom …

Profiles – Yashna Smart

PAG Staff2022, free schools, Interview, Leadership, Profiles

Profiles: Yashna SmartMeet Yashna…Yashna Smart joined PAG back in August 2019, having previously worked for three years as a primary school teacher, teaching years 4 and 5. After originally joining PAG as an intern, Yashna has risen through the ranks, and is now the Senior Consultant for our dedicated free schools support service, Create: Schools. She has a BA in …

PAG Explains: Local Authority Competitions

PAG Staff2022, Article, bid writing, free schools, Local Authority Competition, Schools

PAG Explains: Local Authority CompetitionsIf you are looking to open a free school, there are two main ways of doing so. One is through the central free school waves, which are currently open (find out more here). The second way is through a local authority competition.A local authority competition, or the free school presumption process as it is also known, …